It’s virtually impossible for beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and trucking companies to plan their pickup and delivery schedules with any degree of accuracy, thanks to trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic reliability hitting lows of 35 percent, and rail delays and chassis dislocations at major US ports adding to the supply chain logistics uncertainties BCOs face.
Vessel schedule integrity
Vessel schedule integrity in the major east-west trades has been running a dismal 34 percent to 70 percent this year, due primarily to congestion in origin ports in Asia and Europe, as well as fog delays in Shanghai and winter weather problems earlier this year in Europe. Also, increasing cargo volumes this peak season are playing a role. Vessels are consistently arriving one or two days late at large ports including Los Angeles-Long Beach, New York-New Jersey, Norfolk, Savannah and Charleston gateways, forcing the terminals to assign extra work crews and unload the vessels late into the night.